Rotary spiral plow



Dec. 15, 1931. Q BRACK 1,836,304

ROTARY SPIRAL PLOW Original Filed Nov. 12. 1927 2 Sheets'Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

65/11 Brack ATTORNEY.

Dec. 15, 1931. c. M, BRACK ROTARY SPIRAL PLOW Original Filed Nov. 12, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 15, 1931 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE comm M. BRACK, or GREAT BEND, KANSAS ROTARY SPIRAL PLOW 7 Original application filed November 12, 1927, Serial No. 232,887, Patent No. 1,690,922, November 6, 1928.

" Divided and this application filed October 29, 1930, Serial No. 492,043.

This invention, which is 'a division of my application Serial Number 232,887, filed November 12, 1927 and which eventuated in Letters Patent 1,690,922, relates to a rotary spiral plow and has for its object to provide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a plow of such class including a rotatable cylinder having'one or more plow elements helically disposed throughout the periphery thereof and with the plow share element constructed in a manner to provide for a thoroughly efficient working or cutting of the ground during the travel ofthe plow.

A further object of the invention is to pro 5 vide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a rotary plowwhich iscomparatively simple in its construction and arrangement, strong, durable, compact thoroughly efficient in its use, conveniently assembled, and comparatively inexpensive to set up.

WVith the foregoing and other objects in View the invention consists of the novel construction, combinationand arrangement of parts as hereinafter more specifically de- 5 scribed, and illustrated in theaccomp'anying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is'to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which fall within the scope 1T 36 of theclaims hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views V Figure lisa top. plan view of a rotary plow accordance with this invention. 7 Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional View of the cylinder carrying the share element.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the plow. Figure 4 is a fragmentary View in plan and upon an enlarged scale showing the arrangement ofthelcleaner device with respect to the share elements. v

Figure 5 is a sectional detail looking towards the right side of the cam piece for elevating the cleaning members and 3 further showing a cleaning member in full line elevated and in dotted lines opposing one side of a helix to be shifted by the plow share. Figure 6 is a fragmentary view, in section,

thereto. Each side bar is provided centralrotates with the shaft 7 and comprises a holillustrat-ing thelap joint between a pair of plow share members or sections.

A'rotary plow, in accordance with this invention, includes a horizontally disposed rec tangular frame having the side bars thereof indicated at 1, 2, the front'bar at 3 and the rear bar at 4. The front bar 3 projects forwardly and is of arcuate shape. The front bar 3 is provided with a series of spaced openings .5 for adjustably connecting a hitch ly thereof with an enlarged portion 5 forming bearings for a shaft 7 carrying stopcollars'8 which are positioned within the frame and-arrest lengthwise shifting of the shaft 7 or in other words the collars 8 act to maintain the shaft 7 in set position with respect to the frame. 7 I

Bodily carried with the shaft 7 isa rotatable supporting element of appropriate diame eter and of a length less than thedistance from one side bar to'the other side bar of the frame. Preferably the supporting element is in the form of a cylinder or drum which low body portion. 9 closed at each end bva flanged head 10. r j

The flanges of the headslO are indicated atll, and holdfast devices 12 are employed for securing the heads 10 within the body portion 9 at the ends thereof. Each head 10 is formed with an axial opening 13 for the passage of the shaft 7 and secured to the outer face of each head 10, centrally thereof, is a flanged casting 14. The flange of the casting 14 is indicated at 14 and it is fixedly secured to a head by the holdfast de- Vices 15. Each casting 14 is formed with an axial opening 16 which registers with an 1 opening 13. The casting is fixedly'secured to the shaft 7 by a diametrically extending rivet or pin 17. i

.Disposed throughout the outer periphery of the body portion 9 is a plow share of left hand helical form preferably consisting of a plurality of helical plow share forming elements, one forming a continuation of the other. Preferably two of such elements are employed and generally indicated at 18. It is to be understood however, that many of such elements can be employed as desired. Each element 18 is formed of a series of helices, of share members or sections 19 of like construction.

The helices, members or sections 19 of each element 18 have a lap joint connection therebetween, as shown in Figure 6. The opposed ends of said members or sections 19 are rabbeted as at 20, arranged in overlapping positions, and detachably connected together by the holdfast devices 21. Each helix, share member or section 19 is of substantially concavo-convex in transverse section with the concave side thereof facing toward the right hand side of the plow. See Figure 2. Each share member or section 19 has the inner side of each helix thereof seat directly against and secured to the outer periphery of the cylinder, by the holdfast devices 22. in vertical section, at any point throughout the length of a share forming element, the outer edge of the latter is arranged out of alinement with respect to the inner edge thereof. Each helix includes an outer and an inner portion and with the former upon a greater are than that of the latter.

Carried by the rear bar 4 of the frame and projecting forwardly therefrom is a combined reciprocatory and oscillatory spring controlled means which is adapted to intermittently engage with the plow share element or elements for cleaning it or them in a satisfactory manner during the travel of the plow. The said cleaning means comprises a pair of spaced, parallel bars 23, 24 and with the former arranged forwardly of the latter.

The bars 23, 24 are connected together at their ends by the coupling devices 25. The bar 24 is arranged forwardly of the rear bar 4 of the frame, arranged in parallelism with respect thereto and spaced therefrom. The bar 23 is of square cross section and the bar 24 of cylindrical cross section. Secured to and extended forwardly from the bar 23 is a series of apertured, forwardly directed supporting members 27 arranged in spaced relation, and fixedly secured to the rear bar 4 of the frame, by the holdfast devices 28. The number of supporting members is three and carried by the bar 24 and bearing against the central supporting member 28 is a coiled controlling spring 29, confined on the bar 24 between a collar 30 and said central supporting member. The spring 29 functions to maintain the bars 23, 24 and cleaner members 26 in the position shown in Figure 1. The bars 23, 24 are shifted in the direction of the arrow Figure 4, against the action of the controlling spring 29, by the coils of the plow share element or elements. The bar 24 is provided with a stud 32, which rides against a cam piece 33 extending forwardly from the rear bar 4 of the frame. The cam piece 33 includes an upstanding arcuate part 35 arranged forwardly of the bar 4 and provides in connection with stud 32 for moving the bars 23, 24 in an upward direction to elevate the members 26 to clear the helices of the plow share elements or element. This action is had by the riding of stud 32 against part 35 when the coils of the share element act to shift bars 23, 24 in the direction of the arrow. After the cleaning members are elevated, the spring 29 acts to move the bars 23, 24 in the opposite direction and the cleaning members low to normal position by gravity. The reciprocation movement of the cleaning means is had through the medium of spring 29 and helices of the plow share element or elements, and the oscillatory movement of the cleaning means is had through the medium of the stud 32, cam 33 and spring 29.

The movement of the cleaning means in one direction, during its oscillatory movement, is caused by the stud 32 and cam piece 33 and the movement in the opposite direction is had by gravity. The construction and arrangement of the cleaning devices provides for the intermittent engagement thereof with the coils of the plow share element or elements.

By way of example, it will be assumed that the helices of the plow share element or elements are spaced eight inches apart then the movement of the cleaning means to the left would be ten inches and to the right ten inches. The extent of movement of the cleaning means will depend upon the distance the helices are spaced from each other.

In Figure 1, one of the plow share elements is indicated at A and the other at B,and which coact to provide the plow share of left hand helical form, having the concave face thereof opening toward the right side of the plow. The construction and arrangement of the plow share will provide when the latter is active, for the avoiding of side draft and friction incidental to the cutting and turning of the soil. The rotatable supporting element is disposed at right angles to the line of draft and rotates during the travel of the plow to provide for the share helical form to cut and turn the soil. The periphery of the rotatable supporting element may be provided with one or more plow shares of the left hand helical type, but if two or more are employed, the inclination of the helicals will be less than that if but one is used.

The cleaning members 26 operate in the grooves formed between the coils of, and are not in permanent engagement with the plow share elements, but are shifted to intermittently engage therewith for the purpose of cleaning the same.

It is thought the many advantages of a rotary plow, in accordance with this invention can be readily understood, and although the preferred embodiment of the invention is as illustrated and described, yet it is to be understood that changes in the details of construction can be had which will fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is 1. A rotary plow comprising a rotatable supporting element having from end to end thereof and upon its periphery, helically protruding means of concavo-convex cross section providing a plow share.

2. A rotary plow including a central, rotatable supporting member having positioned thereon a helical plow share having the helices thereof of concavo-convex cross section, the inner side of said shaft being secured to the periphery of said element.

3. A rotary plow comprising a rotatable supporting element having from end to end thereof and upon its periphery, helically protruding means having the helices of concavoconvex cross section and providing a plow share, said element being rotatable during the engagement of the plow share with the ground on the travel of the plow.

4:. A rotary plow including a rotatable cylinder provided on its periphery with a plow share of left hand helical form and having the helices thereof concavo-convex in cross section, the concave side of each helix facing to the right side of the plow, said cylinder being disposed at right angles to the lineof draft and rotatable during the engagement of the plow share with the travel of the plow.

5. A rotary plow comprising a, rotatable supporting element having from end to end thereof and upon its lengthwise outer face, helically protruding means having the helices thereof spaced from each other, of concavoconvex cross section and providing a plow share, the inner sides of said helices seated upon and secured to said outer face.

6. A rotary plow comprising a rotatable supporting element having from end to end thereof and upon its lengthwise outer face, helically protruding means having the helices thereof spaced from each other, of concavoconvex cross section and providing a plow share, the inner sides of said helices seated uponand secured to said outer face, and each of said helices in vertical section having its outer edge arranged out of alinement with respect to its inner edge and having its outer portion upon a inner portion.

7. A rotaryplow comprising a rotatable supporting element having from end to end thereof and upon its lengthwise outer face, helically protruding means having the helices thereof spaced from each other, of concavoconvex cross section, and providing a plow share, the inner sides of said helices seated upon and secured to said outer face, said helices having the concave faces thereof facing towards the right end of said element, and each of said helices'in vertical section having its ground on p the greater are than the arc of its 7 outer edge arranged out of alinement with respect to its inner edge and having its outer portion upon a greater are than the arc of its inner portion.

8. A rotary plow comprising a rotatable supporting element having from end to end thereof and upon its lengthwise outer face, helically protruding means having the helices thereof spaced from each other, of concavo-- upon and secured to said outer face, said helices having the concave faces thereof facing towards the right end of said element, and each helix having an outer and an inner portion and with the former upon a greater are than the arc of the latter. i In testimony whereof, I affix my signature hereto.

CONRAD M. BRACK. 

